Shlomo Yosef ben Nofyah Vered thanks all for the prayers no need
for more.
Parsha
Shoftim
When one becomes a judge, he should look not only upon
the litigants and their cases but that if he makes a mistake it is similar to the
pit of hell opening up before him. With an Aguna this is especially so. I
brought down the story of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein who came across an Aguna who
remarried and her husband returned. She mentioned the name of a big Rabbi that
permitted her and Rabbi Moshe could not believe it even when she repeated the
story a few times. Finally, she admitted the truth and had to get a Get from
both husbands.
The judges warned against taking a bribe or judging a
close family member are G-D fearing Jews and learned Dayanim. They are not
politicians using their office to gain wealth and power and subject to a bribe
this way or the other. They were chosen to be judges because they learned Torah
and were men of esteem. But unfortunately we have had a few Dayanim in Divorce
Courts that did some hanky-panky or a Judge or Clerk in a Conversion Court
‘speeded’ things up for a bit of money. Again these are people who started out
as G-D Fearing and honest people, all the more so politicians with aspirations
for power and wealth.
16:18 Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates,
which the LORD thy God giveth thee, tribe by tribe; and they shall judge the
people with righteous judgment.
A Judge from the same tribe of Dan either grew up in
the area we call Gush Dan or Dan in the North and would know the neighborhoods,
area and customs of his tribe. While somebody from Yehuda or Benyamin might
have different customs. Today we live in an era of transportation and somebody
from Bnei Barak, Ashdod, Kiriat Sefer or Yerushalayim might have a similar
background although the area covers the Tribes of Yehuda, Benyamin and Dan.
19 Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt not respect persons;
neither shalt thou take a gift; for a gift doth blind the eyes of the wise, and
pervert the words of the righteous.
Rabban Gamliel and his sister had a “dispute” and went
to a Roman Judge each gave different bribes and the Judge went to the larger
bribe. She gave him a lamp and Rabban Gamliel gave him a jackass. The trial was
public and she hinted that he should be enlightened and he went to Rabban
Gamliel’s side who said, “My donkey kicked over your lamp”.
20 Justice, justice shalt thou follow, that thou may live, and inherit
the land which the LORD your God gives you.
The implication is that if you don’t follow justice,
then you will have an early death and lose the right to be in the land.
21 Thou shalt not plant thee an Asherah of any kind of tree beside
the altar of the LORD thy God, which thou shalt make thee.
An old tree or only tree on top of a mountain became a
subject for worship often in ancient times.
22 Neither shalt thou set thee up a pillar, which the LORD thy God
hates.
Times change for it was an ancient custom. Beresheis
28:18 And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had
put under his head, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of
it. Yacov set up a pillar unto HASHEM and as a
foundation column for HIS Mikdash but even this is now forbidden as the
idolaters do this now.
17:1
Thou shalt not sacrifice unto the LORD thy God an ox, or a sheep, wherein is a
blemish, even any evil thing; for that is an abomination unto the LORD thy God.
This was the mistake of Kayn in Gan Eden that he did not bring the
choicest animal for sacrifice but that of a lower quality while Hevel brought
the best fruits.
2 If
there be found in the midst of thee, within any of thy gates which the LORD thy
God giveth thee, man or woman, that does that which is evil in the sight of the
LORD thy God, in transgressing His covenant, 3 and has gone and served other
gods, and worshipped them, or the sun, or the moon, or any of the host of
heaven, which I have commanded not; 4 and it be told thee, and thou hear it,
then shalt thou inquire diligently, and, behold, if it be true, and the thing
certain, that such abomination is wrought in Israel; 5 then you shall bring
forth that man or that woman, who have done this evil thing, unto thy gates,
even the man or the woman; and thou shalt stone them with stones, that they
die. 6 At the mouth of two witnesses, or three witnesses, shall he that is to
die be put to death; at the mouth of one witness he shall not be put to death.
7 The hand of the witnesses shall be first upon him to put him to death, and afterward
the hand of all the people. So thou shalt put away the evil from the midst of
thee.
There are a few things covered in Meseches Sanhedrin that I would
like to mention here so that my reader will understand the Jewish Justice
System. I am only scratching the surface.
First of all, only a small Sanhedrin of 23 could judge a death
penalty. Two other rows of Sanhedrins were seated at the court in case a judge
became, ill, was a close relative of a witness, etc. This meant 69 Rabbis
sitting in place. Besides that, a doctor was present and in case of rebellion
against Halacha and HASHEM a person to give out stripes. [Melted out in case of
going against the Rabbis on a number of things or somebody saying someone else
was not a Cohen and it was found to be a lie.] More people plus the witnesses,
counter witnesses if they existed, the accused, etc. which according to the
Gemara would be 120 people.
The court would then call two witnesses forward. I could not be a
he-said, she-said situation but a minimum of two or three witnesses. At which
point each witness would testify separately. If one said it was around such and
such an hour and the other said the same hour or within a small timing error
their testimony was accepted. However, if one said the sun was in the east of
noon and the other said in the west of noon we did not accept such testimony.
It was possible for the accused to bring counter witnesses such as
on Chaf-Hay Elul 5761 at 9:30 you were with us at Cantor Fitzgerald in the
World Trade Center. There was a possible to bring other witnesses that
everybody who was in Cantor Fitzgerald passed away when the building collapsed.
When it was established that the person worshipped idols,
deliberately lite a fire on Shabbos, committed murder or adultery then we have
the witnesses push the criminal down from a height of about 2 meters high and
then roll a heavy stone down on the guilty person from that height. Afterwards,
the nation could stone the person if the doctor did not declare him/her dead.
There was also a possibility of learning a reason not to inflict the death
penalty by the Sanhedrin at which point the person would be brought back before
the judges. A “killing” Sanhedrin as it is called in Hebrew (hanging court in
English) would be one who executed a person once every 70 years.
Rabbi Akiva said that if he were on the court, he would find a
reason not to execute the guilty party (which goes against the grain of the
Torah Pshat).
8 If
there arise a matter too hard for thee in judgment, between blood and blood,
between plea and plea, and between stroke and stroke, even matters of
controversy within thy gates; then shalt thou arise, and get thee up unto the
place which the LORD thy God shall choose. 9 And thou shall come unto the
priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days; and thou
shalt inquire; and they shall declare unto thee the sentence of judgment.
This was to consult with the Cohain HaGadol using the Urim v’
Tumim. We do not know what they were. They existed in the Beis HaMikdash Rishon
and not recovered. Supposedly Yermiyahu hid them away only to be found in the
days of the Moshiach. There existed the possibility of course in consulting the
Sanhedrin HaGadol aka Beis Din HaGadol that sat before the Temple Court in Yerushalayim.
… 11
According to the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment
which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do; thou shalt not turn aside from the
sentence which they shall declare unto thee, to the right hand, nor to the left.
Do not deviate from what the Torah says. For this reason, even
though in 99% of the time we perform Halitzah instead of Levirate Marriage, if
the couple decides to live together (because the Kedushim of the deceased still
apply) we allow it even today and even if he has a wife and children of his
own. {I do not know of such a case but the theory is there.}
There are many Gezairas and other fences around the Torah today
which did not exist per sec at the beginning of Yetzias Mitzrayim such as
Pekuach Nefesh Heterim of today. But all this the Sages instituted and we
cannot go against it. Lastly, often Pshat in written Torah was different or
lacking and the Oral Torah expanded upon it. I always use the slaughtering of
animals. The type of knife, sharpness, depth of the cut, blessing, the removal
of blood, blessing, etc. are all in the Oral Torah and the written Torah is
lacking. The Oral Torah was given on Sinai and the 13 principles on how to
expand upon it or confine a passages were given too.
14
When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God gives thee, and shall
possess it, and shalt dwell therein; and shalt say: 'I will set a king over me,
like all the nations that are round about me'; 15 thou shalt in any wise set
him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose; one from among thy
brethren shall you set king over thee; thou may not put a foreigner over thee,
who is not thy brother.
The people have a commandment to set up not only courts of law and
teachers but a King for civil law and the army once we enter the land. He must
be born from the Bnei Yisrael. The Torah does not specify tribe but that came
from the prophets later on.
16
Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to
Egypt, to the end that he should multiply horses; forasmuch as the LORD hath
said unto you: 'Ye shall henceforth return no more that way.'
He can have a few horses for transportation or even battle-drill
competition (Pshat at the time of the writing of the Torah which might be one
or two cars and drivers today that are bullet proof). I saw at the airport when
Clinton came to visit Rabin or for the funeral that one or two limos were
readied a day before for him and a few transport helicopters.
17
Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turns not away;
neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.
Neither should he over-indulge in worldly pleasures king or no
king the Rabbis limited him to 18 wives after Shlomo passed away. Also the was
not to over-tax the people but use the money for services of the nation.
18
And it shall be, when he sits upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall
write him a copy of this law in a book, out of that which is before the priests
the Levites. 19 And it shall be with him, and he shall read therein all the
days of his life; that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, to keep all the
words of this law and these statutes, to do them;
He is to write or commission to write a Sefer Torah that will be
with him all the time in battle even and today I would say an on-line set of
Talmud, Shulchan Aruch and “Questions and Answers” of the Rabbis.
20
that his heart be not lifted up above his brethren, and that he turns not aside
from the commandment, to the right hand, or to the left; to the end that he may
prolong his days in his kingdom, he and his children, in the midst of Israel.
He shall be humble from the Nation.
18:1 The priests the Levites, even all the tribe of Levi, shall
have no portion nor inheritance with Israel; they shall eat the offerings of
the LORD made by fire, and His inheritance. … 3 And this shall be the priests'
due from the people, from them that offer a sacrifice, whether it be ox or
sheep, that they shall give unto the priest the shoulder, and the two cheeks,
and the maw. 4 The first-fruits of thy corn, of thy wine, and of thine oil, and
the first of the fleece of thy sheep, shalt thou give him. 5 … to stand to
minister in the name of the LORD, him and his sons forever.
They are to be teachers and religious leaders and
guides. In their time, they acted as Rabbi, Judge, Social Worker and
Psychologist.
… 9 When thou art come into the land which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. 10 There
shall not be found among you any one that makes his son or his daughter to pass
through the fire, one that uses divination, a soothsayer, or an enchanter, or a
sorcerer,
Have you had Tarot Cards, Regular Cards, looked into a
Crystal Ball, put on a red string instead of fire? I would not have my tea
leaves or coffee grinds read either. In fact, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef was wary of
many so-called Kabbala Experts that are really quacks. I know of a simple man
who is a Kabbalist but not an expert and once met a gardener who was one. Yes,
there are hidden Tzaddikim but be wary of all this stuff.
11 or a charmer, or one that consults a ghost or a familiar spirit,
or a necromancer.
The fact of the matter is that séances, boards and
these things are done by either quacks or through the Sidra Acher. Rabbi Rami
Levy is the only person who survived a horrible séance when he was
non-religious and from that he returned to Torah Judaism. It is a long story
involving a cassette or two in Hebrew.
12 For whosoever does these things is an abomination unto the LORD;
and because of these abominations the LORD thy God is driving them out from
before thee. 13 Thou shalt be whole-hearted with the LORD thy God.
Purge and scourge the nation from these nonsensical
abominations. Be pure before HASHEM.
14 For these nations, that thou art to dispossess, hearken unto
soothsayers, and unto diviners; but as for thee, the LORD thy God hath not
suffered thee so to do.
This reminds me of the television priest who said a
number of years ago that G-D told him that he would take him if people did not
donate a million dollars and he repeated this again. Maybe G-D had pity upon
the poor fools and did take him or the network took him off after the second
stint. There was a cult that predicted the end of the world and committed
suicide together a number of years ago. They all seem to have a number of
things in common. A true prophet will have fear of HASHEM.
15 A prophet will the LORD thy God raise up unto thee, from the
midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; … 18 I
will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee; and I
will put My words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall
command him. 19 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto
My words which he shall speak in My name, I will require it of him. 20 But the
prophet, that shall speak a word presumptuously in My name, which I have not
commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, that same
prophet shall die.'
You have to be careful for false prophets. The Rambam
says that if the prophet says something good will happen and it does then he
has prophecy but if somebody says something bad will happen, and the people
repent as in the story of Yona and Nineveh then he can be true but the
repentance avoided the evil decree. However, if the prophet comes and says something
good will happen and it does not happen then he is a false prophet.
21 And if thou say in thy heart: 'How shall we know the word which
the LORD has not spoken?' 22 When a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD, if
the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath
not spoken; the prophet has spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid
of him.
It can be like many who think they are the Moshiach or
incarnation of G-D and these unfortunate individuals run around places like
Yeshiva University trying to get a following. I used to hear of a few of these
50 years ago.
19:1
When the LORD thy God shall cut off the nations, whose land the LORD thy God
giveth thee, and thou do succeed them, and dwell in their cities, and in their
houses; 2 thou shalt separate three cities for thee in the midst of thy land,
which the LORD thy GOD giveth thee to possess it. 3 Thou shalt prepare three cities of refugee for the accidental manslayer
may flee thither. … 8 And if the LORD thy God enlarge thy border, as He hath
sworn unto thy fathers, and give thee all the land which He promised to give
unto thy fathers-- 9 if thou shalt keep all this commandment to do it, which I
command thee this day, to love the LORD thy God, and to walk ever in His
ways--then shalt thou add three cities more for thee, beside these three; 10
that innocent blood be not shed in the midst of thy land, which the LORD thy
God giveth thee for an inheritance, and so blood be upon thee.
11
But if any man hate his neighbor, and lie in wait for him, … 13 Thine eye shall
not pity him, but thou shalt put away the blood of the innocent from Israel, that
it may go well with thee.
This is the case of first degree murder.
14
Thou shalt not remove thy neighbor's landmark, which they of old time have set,
in thine inheritance which thou shalt inherit, in the land that the LORD thy
God gives thee to possess it.
Unfortunately, these cases happen. This is out and out thievery.
15
One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin,
in any sin that he sins; at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three
witnesses, shall a matter be established.
The matter was discussed above.
16
If an unrighteous witness rise up against any man to bear perverted witness
against him; 17 then both the men, between whom the controversy is, shall stand
before the LORD, before the priests and the judges that shall be in those days.
18 And the judges shall inquire diligently; and, behold, if the witness be a
false witness, and hath testified falsely against his brother; 19 then shall ye
do unto him, as he had purposed to do unto his brother; so shalt thou put away
the evil from the midst of thee.
Unfortunately, there are unscrupulous people who would do these
things.
20
And those that remain shall hear, and fear, and shall henceforth commit no more
any such evil in the midst of thee. 21 And thine eye shall not pity: life for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.
The meaning here is compensation, as if a Yisrael was to testify
that somebody is not a Cohain or Levy since he is not a Cohain or Levy he has
nothing to lose but if you fine him a large sum nobody will dare bring a false
claim
20:1
When thou go forth to battle against thine enemies, and see horses, and
chariots, and a people more than thou, thou shalt not be afraid of them; for
the LORD thy God is with thee, who brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.
The noise of our own artillery shaking the earth, the explosions,
flares over-head or near- by are upsetting and can put anybody off his
composure. Add to this that the enemy is out there possibly within shooting
range and you have a horrible combination that can put fear into your own heart
as you arrive on the scene or even shooting tracer bullets or shells. We don’t have
horses anymore against us but jeeps, APC, tanks and artillery in the form of
pieces or rockets poised on either side.
2 And
it shall be, when ye draw nigh unto the battle, that the priest shall approach
and speak unto the people, 3 and shall say unto them: 'Hear, O Israel, ye draw
nigh this day unto battle against your enemies; let not your heart faint; fear
not, nor be alarmed, neither be ye affrighted at them;
Here is the young soldier shaking in his boots from all the noise
and the adrenalin is pumping his heart. So why shouldn’t he be scared?
4
for the LORD your God is He that goes with you, to fight for you against your
enemies, to save you.'
This is the reason why one should not be afraid. Or as we say when
we wake up each day. Mishlei 9:10 The fear of the LORD is the
beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the All-holy is understanding.
At this point the officers remove those who may panic for whatever
reason. With these words: 5 And the officers shall speak unto the
people, saying: 'What man is there that has built a new house, and hath not
dedicated it? let him go and return to his house, lest he die in the battle,
and another man dedicate it. 6 And what man is there that hath planted a
vineyard, and hath not used the fruit thereof? let him go and return unto his
house, lest he die in the battle, and another man use the fruit thereof. 7 And
what man is there that hath betrothed a wife, and hath not taken her? let him
go and return unto his house, lest he die in the battle, and another man take
her.' 8 And the officers shall speak further unto the people, and they shall
say: 'What man is there that is fearful and faint-hearted? let him go and
return unto his house, lest his brethren's heart melt as his heart.'
During Pillar-Cloud Operation, Aaron Kirov returned to his men the
day after his Chupah along with his newly married assistant, Nehemiah and Chaim
the fellow carrying the radio who was also in his first year of marriage. All
three were injured with Aaron suffering the worse injuries of the war. This
goes to show that some men are heroes and some men are cowards. The real
yellow-bellies will be weeded out and most others will remain but we can judge
them as newlyweds, just built their home. What we want to avoid is a route of
our soldiers.
9 And it shall be, when the officers have made
an end of speaking unto the people, that captains of hosts shall be appointed
at the head of the people.
With the exception of the Canaan Nations mentioned, one should
offer surrender terms to each city conquered or about to be conquered. You
should not destroy fruit trees outside of a city under siege.
21:1 If one be found slain in the land which the LORD thy God
giveth thee to possess it, lying in the field, and it be not known who hath
smitten him; 2 then thy elders and thy judges shall come forth, and they shall
measure unto the cities which are round about him that is slain. 3 And it shall
be, that the city which is nearest unto the slain man, even the elders of that
city shall take a heifer of the herd, which hath not been wrought with, and
which hath not drawn in the yoke. 4 And the elders of that city shall bring
down the heifer unto a rough valley, which may neither be plowed nor sown, and
shall break the heifer's neck there in the valley…
The Egel is taken to atone for the sin of the elders
for not protecting the traveler or praying that such an occurrence would not
happen.
7 And they shall speak and say: 'Our hands have not shed this blood;
neither have our eyes seen it. 8 Forgive, O LORD, Thy people Israel, whom Thou
hast redeemed, and suffer not innocent blood to remain in the midst of Thy
people Israel.' And the blood shall be forgiven them. 9 So shalt thou put away
the innocent blood from the midst of thee, when thou shalt do that which is
right in the eyes of the LORD.
Again I put off the 9th installment of my
return to Judaism, but this time, I have a few stories in articles. The first
called the Pious Thief by Menachem Posner is an interesting story of Teshuva
and rags to riches. http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/3414279/jewish/The-Pious-Thief.htm
Of all the stories told about the great Rabbi Yisrael, the Maggid of Kozhnitz, this is perhaps one of the
strangest and the most wondrous.
Among Rabbi Yisrael’s many chassidim was a learned man, a pious
Jew who was well regarded by all as a righteous individual. Like so many others
in Poland in those years, he was beset by poverty.
He had, thank G‑d, many mouths to feed and no steady source of
income.
“Rebbe,” he said one day to
Rabbi Yisrael, “please advise me. How can I support my wife and children? I
simply cannot bear to watch them suffer, hungry and inadequately clothed. Is
there anything I can do?”
“It appears to me,” replied the holy man, “that all avenues of
earning are closed to you. There is but one channel through which you can
receive your sustenance, but it is a profession you would never consider.”
“My dear teacher,” replied the man, “I am so desperate to feed
my family that I will do anything. No profession, no matter how lowly, is
beneath my dignity.”
“If you insist,” said the sage grudgingly, “I can tell you, but
you will not be happy with what you hear. It is revealed to me from the heavens
that the only profession in which you can succeed is thievery. If you turn to
stealing, nothing can stand in the way of your success.”
Sadly, the chassid returned
home. “How can I ever steal?” he thought to himself. “It is against the will of
G‑d.”
Time passed, and the chassid and his family grew more and more
hungry. One night, he began to reason with himself. “G‑d allows us to break the
holy Sabbath for the sake of saving a life,” he
figured. “Why should stealing be any different? My family will soon starve to
death. Let me go out and see if I can steal a little something. As soon as G‑d
wills it, I will have a few coins of my own, and I will pay them back.”
With that, he went to the deserted marketplace. He walked among
the shuttered stalls and shops, trying the locks. Finally, he found an open
door. He quietly slipped inside, tiptoed toward the back and rummaged around
until he located the cash box, which was unlocked.
With his heart in his throat, he withdrew a single coin and fled
homeward as fast as his legs would carry him. The next morning, he went to the
baker and bought bread for his wife and children.
The following morning, the shopkeeper was greeted by an open
door flapping in the breeze. Suspecting the worst, he entered his store and was
surprised to see that none of the merchandise had been disturbed. In fact, even
the cash was still in his box, save for a single coin.
Word spread quickly, and people began to talk about the strange
robber who took just one coin.
After the poor man and his family finished their bread, the man
tried his hardest to resist the temptation to “borrow” another coin. But the
sight of his hungry children proved too much for him, and he found himself once
again walking among the deserted market stalls. Once again, he located an open
door, and was soon holding another coin.
This became a regular occurrence. Every few weeks, a single coin
would be missing from another shop, and no one had the slightest idea who could
be the one behind the rash of mini-robberies.
Guards were posted at every store in town. But the honest thief
managed to slip through their fingers. After all, the righteous Rabbi Yisrael
had assured him that he would find success in thievery.
One night, the mayor himself decided to stay up late and see if
he could solve the mystery.
Dressed as a civilian, he waited in the shadows, watching for
any sign of movement. Finally, he saw a hunched figure hurrying away from a
shop.
“I got you!” he cried, grabbing hold of the man’s collar. “You
thought you could run away, but I’m not going to let go of you. Tomorrow, I’ll
bring you to the mayor, and he’ll see to it that you are properly dealt with.”
“Please have mercy on me,” begged the distraught thief. “I’m
just a poor man trying to borrow a few coins to support my starving family.
Everyone can attest that I never took even a single penny more than what I
needed. If the town finds out that I was the one, I will be ruined. This will
stain my good name and standing in the community forever. Believe me, G‑d is my
witness that I plan to pay every penny back just as soon as I am able.”
The thief continued to beg, and the undercover mayor finally
relented. “I’ll tell you what,” he said. “You’re obviously a skilled thief. Do
me this one favor, and I’ll let you free. I have secret knowledge that the
mayor of this town just received a large sum of money. He has it in a box under
his bed. There is a small window to his bedroom. If you can manage to squeeze
into his room and come back with the box of treasures, we can split it evenly between
ourselves, and I’ll let you go free.”
“I cannot do that,” protested the chassid. “I’m not a burglar or
criminal. I took just what I needed. How can I rob an innocent man of what is
rightfully his?”
“That’s your decision,” replied the mayor. “Either you do as I
say, or I report you in the morning.”
Left with no choice, the chassid made his way to the mayor’s
house and soon returned empty-handed.
“Thank G‑d, I did not take a thing,” he told his captor. “I
crept into the room and was about to look for the box, when I heard voices. The
mayor’s household assistants were talking among themselves, saying that they
were planning to slip some poison into their master’s morning tea and then make
off with his treasure. We must warn the mayor as soon as possible. He may even
reward us.”
As soon as the mayor heard the man’s words, he said, “You go
home, and I’ll warn the mayor. Just give me your hat, so that I can later
identify you.”
With that, the mayor returned to his mansion. The following
morning, as soon as his tea was served, he had it fed to one of the dogs, who
immediately began showing signs of distress. He had caught his servants in
their treacherous act.
As soon as the drama of his near-death had subsided, the mayor
summoned the leaders of the Jewish community.
“Do you know who owns this hat?” he asked them. “He is the one
who has been stealing from the market.”
“It cannot be,” they replied. “We know the owner of that hat. He
is one of the most respected men in our community, a gentle, G‑d-fearing
scholar of the highest order.”
“No matter,” replied the mayor. “Summon him immediately.”
When the broken-hearted man was brought before him, the mayor
asked, not unkindly, “Is this your hat?
“The leaders of the community have told me about you, and it is
truly out of character of you to have been out pilfering coins in the market,”
continued the mayor, whom the man now recognized as his captor from the night
before. “It seems to me that you must have been sent by heaven to save me from
the plot of my staff, who tried to take my life and steal my money. It is only
right that you should have half of the treasure as reward for your actions last
night.”
The poor man had never seen so much money in his life. He
immediately set aside a significant portion for charity and then went back to
repay all the shopkeepers from whom he had taken coins.
He then devoted the remainder of his life to charity, prayer, Torah study and other lofty pursuits.
An interesting but long article-story: http://www.chabad.org/news/article_cdo/aid/3412470/jewish/Hes-an-Emissary-Beloved-by-IDF-Soldiers-and-He-Has-His-Own-Story-to-Tell.htm
Another story, this one about saving Iraqi Jews from being force
into non-religious Ashkenazi Practices. http://israelseen.com/2016/09/06/the-banker-who-saved-iraqi-jews-from-salted-herring/
Too modern for her upbringing the conflict was too much: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217416
Israeli Public Opinion Poll shows Lapid could replace Netanyahu:http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217424
Yaalon opened Pandora’s Box with his PC stance towards Arabs and
the IDF suffers: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4849698,00.html
Anti-IDF fanatics attack Rabbi – I would give them a choice 3 years
in the army or 10 years on a chain-gang: I’m a nice guy: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217512
A short story on intermarriage and a “Temple” that was
not a true Synagogue: http://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/3388013/jewish/The-Non-Jewish-Girl-in-the-Jewish-Youth-Group.htm
Elul Part 2
(This is not powerful as I usually try to make it maybe because
I am retired now)
Rabbi Pinchas Winston Shlita started off his Perceptions
at the www.torah.org with Tisha B’Av is over and the Beis Din is breathing down our
backs. That is the correct way to view things.
Work Ethics in the Office some thoughts
This week in our Parsha about monetary and other
bribes. Are we using our influence to do something for the person giving a
gift? We have to be careful as in one of my jobs I asked a Rav about companies
that advertise their products with Calendars, Ash Trays, Pens, Pads of Paper or
little note stickers and back in my day they used to give out “pocket savers”.
Is it a bribe? The Rav asked if they all do this? To which I reply most if not
all. If I get a pen from X and Y the competitor gives me a calendar and Z a
paper weight am I influenced by it? He asked me if I made the final purchasing
decision? The answer was no. I recommended let us say a part MS3470 if it was
aerospace and MS3100 if it was naval. He asked me do all three make this design
I said yes. Then you are specifying a standard item and not a manufacturer.
However, if I were to write a standard for
loop-the-loop ice cream and only Strauss made it. If it were after they brought
me a gift, I would be influenced by the gift and not giving Rio, Feldman or
other ice cream manufacturers the chance to compete. In short, if you can be
influenced by a gift you must refuse to take it. However, if there was only one
manufacturer who made gantry parts for missiles, it would make no difference if
they gave a purchasing agent or standards engineer a calendar or not they would
be no choice.
Then comes the question if we take home pens and
pencils from the office because “everybody does it” or use office time to play
on the computer, our e-mail or even look at immodest pictures. Even
intra-office phone calls or chats by desks or on-internal-line. Sometimes
people would send a message BBC or big boss sees you. All this supposed work
related. It is not your boss only in this world that you have to be careful
about but your record after 100 years.
There is another Yetzer HaRa in the office. That is
somebody getting protection from a higher up and moved into a job that
naturally should have been yours or that of your boss. It happens all the time
in Israel. What happens if you are passed over for a raise because of this
reason or that? One fellow does nothing and looks smart for the boss and the
other works hard but does not have a nice presentable desk? The fellow passed
over for a raise becomes depressed a bit.
Back in the day. We had a pool of punch-card girls in
the computer department. M worked by the IBM 1040. If I gave the punch card
girls pages and pages of hand written documents, they would squawk. M would do
the job quicker than the three and then knit to relax. Her boss appreciated her
and let her do that. If you are a boss do you recognize the M’s in your
department or do you treat all workers like squawkers?
There are also dress codes for the office. One
manufacturer called in three engineers from my department because a vice
president of a US Company had come in to sell his product and wanted to make a
technical impression upon the VP. In purchasing he was dressed in a white shirt
and dark pants which was more or less cordial for Israel. The three all were
wearing jeans as that was the dress code for engineers in an informal
engineering environment. Women should not dress up such that on lunch breaks 8
males would follow the woman around the plant. Modest dress codes for both men
and women are appreciated.
Sick leave vs. vacation is another ethical problem
and how many of us have come to work late with a medical note when after seeing
the doctor and buying the medicines have gone to some store or place to do an
errand?
A little bit of fear of heaven and good taste go well
in the office and pride in one’s job and good work is expected of the worker.
Inyanay
Diyoma
Note: As the election in the States and in the future in Israel
approaches I express my opinions, facts and data from others. My intent is the
best for Israel. I have a friend whom I have known for well over 60 years and
60 years ago attended his Bar Mitzvah. He is very high up in the Democratic Party
and one can be friends. The main goal here is for the production and
distribution of words of Torah. My politics is based on what I personally
believe is best for Am Yisrael, Eretz Yisrael and to bring the Moshiach. So if
you see my political opinions vs. pure news please take this into account for
my intent is not to get people angry but to enhance my view of the world. So
please skip political opinions if they agitate you.
FBI Clinton’s comments does not recall security briefing. http://video.foxnews.com/v/5110556508001/fbi-releases-dozens-of-documents-from-clinton-investigation/?playlist_id=2114913880001#sp=show-clips
Right before Shabbos all work on trains were halted and the father
of MIA and presumed dead Oren Shaul passes away. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217285
Father of soldier who died in Lebanon kills himself by his son’s
grave: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217301
US uses system similar to Israeli Smart Artillery Shells. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217309
Drone seen hovering by Israeli Amos 6 at the time of the explosion.
Sabotage? http://debka.com/article/25649/Was-Israel%E2%80%99s-satellite-sabotaged-on-US-rocket-pad-
I was given permission by the author to redistribute the following
piece of copywrite material it is not necessarily my opinion and certainly not
all members of any group act in the ways mentioned: DER MUSLIMFRAGE – THE MOSLEM
QUESTION © Copyright, R. Kossover, September, 2016
For decades, if not centuries, the
Jew-hating Christians of Europe debated over what to do with “their Jews”, Jews
living in exile in their lands. Eventually, they summed up the problems they
saw with one phrase “Der Judenfrage” - “the Jewish Question”. The Nazis
provided one solution that satisfied Christians immensely – extermination. The
Jews, provided their own solution – Zionism, and the establishment of a Jewish
State in the Land of Israel. The Nazis succeeded in killing off six million
Jews – and today, Israel has six million Jews.
In essence, a solution of sorts was
reached for “the Jewish Question”. The existence of the State of Israel, the
IDF, and the possession of a nuclear force de frappé has essentially quietened
most Jew-haters. They hate us, and they won't stop hating us – but FOR THE MOST PART, they are not the
terrible threat they were to our people.
Now, we have an entirely different
problem. Jews, by and large, are not a violent people. They may swindle or
steal, but violence is generally not something Jews do or advocate. In the
past, violenceagainst Jews
– for slights, real or imagined, has been a major problem. But Jews have
generally condemned other Jews who resorted to violent retaliation against our
persecutors.
Even 52 year old Mr. Yisro'el
Shalom, who had been living in the Borough of Newham in East London for nearly
22 years and in the last three years, was attacked 340 times and verbally
abused nearly 60 times, and finally physically tortured, kicked and punched in
his face by a gang of Asians (most probably Pakistanis) because he was a Jew
living within the Moslem community – even he still believes that Islam is a
peaceful religion and most Moslems are very loving and respectable citizens of
the UK, but he is very disappointed with what happened to him recently and is
very upset to see the new generation of Moslems following in the footsteps of
Hitler and adapting the ideology of the Nazis, which will bring about a darker
political side to the peaceful religion of Islam. http://www.jerusalemonline.com/blogs/op-ed-pakistani-man-condemns-anti-semitic-mobs-who-gang-raped-jewish-man-23354
So, it is clear that when we look at
Moslems, we are looking at a different kettle of fish – a kettle of piranhas,
in fact (sharks are just too big to fit in any kettle).
The “holy” Qur'an, that succession
of murderous verses that comprises the “holy book” of Moslems, calls for
incessant violence against the non-believer, and systemized discrimination
against those non-believers it is willing to “tolerate” (as in allow to
continue to live) – Jews, Christians, and because there were too many of them
to kill off, Hindus. You don't have to believe me – just pick up one of their
damned “Qur'ans” and read it. ANY accurate translation will raise your
blood pressure just reading what they have to say about you, if you are not a
Moslem – or the wrong variety of Moslem.
And, if you are a woman, of any
religion, you are condemned to a life of uncomplaining servitude and to being
the victim of rape by Moslem men. If you complain, YOU will
be punished by being caned or flogged. There are enough You Tube videos
floating around showing “Moslem justice” and how it applies to women – any
women. And they start women off early by cutting off the clitorises of young
girls at age five to ten. Ain't these savage bastards sweethearts?
It is clear that we have a problem
with Islam, and its adherents, Moslems. There are about a billion and half
Moslems, but “experts” tell us that less than two percent of them are
extremists or terrorists. Well, do the math. Ten percent of 1.5 billion is 150
million; and one fifth of that (two percent) is 30 million. So, we are looking
at thirty million terrorists who kill in the name of their moon good, Alláh.
So, what is the solution to “der Muslimfrage” - the Moslem
Question?
The imams and mullahs of this
religion preach unrelenting hatred against all non-believers every day, and
especially on Fridays, when many gather in mosques to hear them spread their
message of hatred and death. If only two percent of Moslems buy into their
bullshit, that would be a miracle. But even two percent is thirty million
murderers and killers, screaming “Alláh hu akbár” (Alláh is greater) as they
decapitate, stab, flog, stone or otherwise kill their enemies. And, this is a
frequent event. My e-mail inbox had over 6 such incidents of various kinds just
today, 1 September, 2016.
But, just for a moment, let us look
at what they scream when they engage in their murderous religion - “Alláh is
greater!”. Greater than What? Greater than Whom? Since Alláh is originally the
moon god of the Meccan religion (signified by the crescent moon), obviously
this statement is the proclamation that their moon god is superior to all the
other gods of the Meccan religion – and, by extension, all other gods as well.
So, when they kill Jews, they are obviously asserting that their moon god is
also greater than the God of Israel. In my book, that is
idolatry. It is worse than worshiping Jesus, a mere man, as a god. But no
matter how you slice the shwarma, worshiping a moon god – the central concept
of Islam, is idolatry – and we Jews have the right to murder these scum off as
idolaters and contaminants of the planet. Why? We do not need their
murderousness, their rapaciousness, their viciousness, their persecution of
women, and contempt for non-believers, and especially, their unrelenting belief
in their own superiority. They are not willing to live and let live – so let
them die, while WE live.
I don't like Christianity – but I do
not feel the need to murder off all two billion Christians as idolaters, simply
because, for the most part, THEY
DO NOT BOTHER ME! They do not try
to kill me or mine. They don't throw stones at me, they don't shoot at our cars
as we drive down Highway 60 in Samaria, and they don't attack or rape our
people as the damned Moslems do! They USED TO, but they don't anymore. Maybe
the fact that we Jews kicked Arab ass from here to Cairo, as well as here to
Damascus, made them realize that messing with Jews just
wasn't the fun it used to was. When
a Jew is aiming his UZI at you, Jew-hatred is just not quite
as safe.
Similarly, I cannot respect
Hinduism, with its pantheon of semi-gods and semi-goddesses (they assert that
all these semi-gods are reflections of aspects of the Godhead, so it merely
borders on idolatry). BUT,
HINDUS, IN ALL THE CENTURIES THAT HAVE JEWS LIVED IN INDIA, HAVE NOT
PERSECUTED US AT ALL!!! That
counts for something in my book. This goes for the Burmese, the Chinese, the
Japanese (except during WWII), the Koreans and the remaining East Asians. In
fact, during WWII, Shanghai was a refuge for Jews, if they were able to make it
there.
While our job as Jews is to proclaim
the One God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses, and to make
the world aware of His fundamental (Noahide) Commandments, laws that separate
man from beast, we are not charged with shoving our ideas down the throats of
others. It is a fundamental precept of Judaism to live and let live. Good
fences make for good neighbors, and an armed society is a polite society; but
the point is to have a CIVIL society – another word for
civilization.
Moslems are incapable of this, and
have had fourteen centuries to prove that they are incapable of this.THUS, THEY
NEED TO DIE, AND THEIR “RELIGION” - AND ALL THE INSTITUTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH
THAT "RELIGION" - NEED TO BE STAMPED OUT, LIKE THE CANCEROUS FIRE OF HELL THAT IT IS.
That is the solution to “der
Muslimfrage” - the Moslem question. End of discussion.
New tourist site guaranteed no Jews or Israelis a real paradise. http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=36161
After shell explodes on the Golan Heights, Syrian Artillery bombed
by the IAF: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4850369,00.html
From Linda how Communism works in Venezuela as a big protest
occurs: https://www.facebook.com/LibertyMemesPage/videos/vb.346786585442633/1039859436135341/?type=2&theater
While border police were conducting a raid in East Yerushalayim,
there was an attempted car ramming by friends of the person being arrested. As
a result, one rammer dead and the other injured and arrested. http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217349
First paragraph is
before I visited the site. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4850567,00.html Partial building
collapse. A lot of building materials were placed on top of a 4 story
underground parking lot. There was a heavy construction crane and a bulldozer.
The bulldozer fell on some area with force causing a certain collapse which
unsteadied the crane and a good deal of the parking lot collapsed injuring at
this time about 17 people were injured and at the time of the writing 2 dead 2
alive known to be trapped and 5 who may be alive or dead under the partial
construction.
My wife had a
doctor’s appointment so we had to be approximately 100 meters from the scene of
the collapse. What collapsed was a four story almost half a block long and a
quarter of a block wide underground parking lot. It should have held up in an
earth quake but like Shimon who knocked out two columns of Dagan, the main
structure folded like a pack of playing cards it was about to open to the
public in three weeks. The air was full of dust. Since the police cordoned off
the area to all but heavy equipment, ambulances, fire-rescue and army we had to
find an alternate way to get there.
Achmed Mansour was
supposed to be having lunch with his friends who he rescued from under a
collapse but he wanted to finish some work at 11:30 AM. He was lucky as the
collapse brought about wind that pushed him away from most of the collapse and
he was only slightly injured. As I left the area about 14:30, the homeland
rescue from the army had arrived. This is the fastest ground army action that I
have ever seen organized for unlike the police, fire and ambulance they have to
go into their stowage area to bring out equipment. The reserves had only one or
two people but the regular army was going into the site with their special
equipment and dogs to find survivors and prop-up things.
Leaving the area was
one big traffic jam and the police were sending traffic on certain routes.
Remember the injured are G-D’s handiwork. I might not be the biggest lover of
Arabs but these folks are working people and when they work they are not
engaged in terror.
I took a look at the
horizontal metal connections to the vertical construction as the vertical in
most cases held up. It appeared to my rough Gestimate that wider iron supports
should have been used as the flooring collapsed in most places and not the
columns. Will the engineer and the contractor go to jail or just the
contractor. This is the same contractor who fired the crane operator who
refused to work until safety concerns were dealt with. It was only his
complaint to the labor court that stopped the use of the crane. How many more
cranes and buildings have to collapse due to shoddy practices? Another body
pulled from the wreckage just now only 2 missing (as of 11:30 AM Friday). http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4850838,00.html
Hezballah closing in on the Israeli-Syrian Border: http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/09/05/iranian-report-assad-forces-hezbollah-coordinating-large-scale-anti-terror-operation-on-israel-border-in-golan-heights/
With 114% of the vote the last time around, Allen
West lost by a few votes. I do not forget and the good LRD does not forgive in
the next world. https://rawconservative.com/2015/08/voterresidents/
Syria, Ukraine and the US elections: http://debka.com/article/25651/How-Syria-Ukraine-crises-tie-in-with-US-elections
This came from a person whom I will keep
anonymous due to its content. It is a similar story like “Angry Birds” App. By now, you’ve probably heard of Pokémon Go, the new “hybrid
reality” mobile app game that overlays real world geographic locations with
virtual monsters that are collected for points.
What you may not yet know is that the game was actually developed by a CIA-funded software front group for the purpose of using all the mobile device cameras of the brain dead public to conduct what I call “mass redundant surveillance” of any area requiring immediate video documentation by the CIA or NSA. It’s essentially a CIA spying machine pretending to be a game.
To accomplish citizen-assisted spying, the game’s puppet masters simply plop a virtual monster into any desired surveillance location, and hordes of totally brain dead apocalyptic zombie humans instantly converge on the scene, all pointing their mobile cameras at the virtual “monsters” so they can earn their virtual “points.”
As this is happening, the video from selected players’ cameras is being streamed to the CIA in real time, along with precise GPS coordinates of the players’ locations.
The more people the CIA wants to converge onto an area of interest, the higher the monster value they place at that location.
As these photos show, when high-value monsters appear in such locations, hordes of Pokémon players rush to the scene via bicycles, taxis, automobiles and even on foot… all pointing their cameras at the high-value target and upstreaming real-time video to the CIA.
In effect, Pokémon Go is the CIA’s way of turning an obedient population of obedient zombie humans into inadvertent collectors of actionable on-the-ground intelligence.
What you may not yet know is that the game was actually developed by a CIA-funded software front group for the purpose of using all the mobile device cameras of the brain dead public to conduct what I call “mass redundant surveillance” of any area requiring immediate video documentation by the CIA or NSA. It’s essentially a CIA spying machine pretending to be a game.
To accomplish citizen-assisted spying, the game’s puppet masters simply plop a virtual monster into any desired surveillance location, and hordes of totally brain dead apocalyptic zombie humans instantly converge on the scene, all pointing their mobile cameras at the virtual “monsters” so they can earn their virtual “points.”
As this is happening, the video from selected players’ cameras is being streamed to the CIA in real time, along with precise GPS coordinates of the players’ locations.
The more people the CIA wants to converge onto an area of interest, the higher the monster value they place at that location.
As these photos show, when high-value monsters appear in such locations, hordes of Pokémon players rush to the scene via bicycles, taxis, automobiles and even on foot… all pointing their cameras at the high-value target and upstreaming real-time video to the CIA.
In effect, Pokémon Go is the CIA’s way of turning an obedient population of obedient zombie humans into inadvertent collectors of actionable on-the-ground intelligence.
Waste of money on Gaza as they will dig deeper and deeper. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4850725,00.html
From Chaim O. A great idea but will
not work if Achmed or Hassan explode? https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzWC5MmapDwrZFgtRVlEd0JVcFQwUDlDcEpBUmw4XzZPZElr/view?pref=2&pli=1
Left-Right-Left http://www.aol.com/article/2016/09/06/88-former-military-leaders-endorse-donald-trump-in-open-letter/21466672/
Hezballah enhancing their enclave on the Golan and poised for a
second front against Israel: http://debka.com/article/25654/Hizballah-units-regroup-on-Israel’s-Golan-border
From Arthur: Gerald Ford might not have been the best president
ever but this character was second worse president who beat him “a pure genius”
or a peanut brain http://www.jewsnews.co.il/2016/09/07/jimmy-carter-principles-of-allah-key-to-peace-2.html
Obama has reduced the USA Military Generals to Rubble: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217496
Shoah survivor behind the general’s support of Trump: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217500
IAF strikes Hezballah-Syrian positions on the Golan after a mortar
falls: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4852032,00.html
Ottoman era explosives found and neutralized: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217454
From Dr. Martin Sherman: Price of escaping Gaza: http://www.jpost.com/Arab-Israeli-Conflict/The-high-price-to-escape-Gaza-Corruption-on-the-Egyptian-border-467011
North Korea – Iran cooperation: http://www.algemeiner.com/2016/09/07/israeli-expert-warheads-used-in-north-korean-missile-launch-latest-indication-of-close-military-cooperation-with-iran/
Third Party Candidate Jean Stein got arrested after she did some
vandalism this week. Gary Johnson must have been briefed by Obama he babbled on
Syria: http://video.foxnews.com/v/5116923000001/gary-johnson-what-is-aleppo/?#sp=show-clips
The PLO wants prisoner release before negotiations and there is
nothing anymore we have played this game long enough: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4852498,00.html
Middle-East exit strategy for Obama after failures: http://debka.com/article/25656/Putin-Erdogan-deal-for-Syria-is-ME-exit-for-Obama-
Top Jihadist Commander killed in Syria: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/217569
Ed-Op Naomi Ragan not only Israel’s best choice, our only choice: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/19461
Good Shabbos everybody have a healthy and pleasant
rest,
Rachamim Pauli
